NAPO 2010 Conference Expo Recap Part 1: Boxing It Up
One week after my return from this year’s conference, whose theme was “Innovate. Connect. Inspire”, I’m still reviewing the notes I took during the presentations of our amazing keynote speakers, Tim Sanders, Gina Schreck and Monica Wofford. I’m also wowed by my colleagues, whether it’s the brilliance of their sessions (particularly those taught by Lauren Halagarda, Scott Roewer, Brandie Kajino and Allison Carter), or the delight of their companionship as we toured Columbus, Ohio’s Short North district in search of the unusual flavors at Jeni’s Ice Cream. Mmmm. Ice cream.
Our 2010 Expo offered another fine selection products for helping make lives easier and more organized. Over the next few posts, I’m eager to share with you some of the paper-related treasures we professional organizers encountered.
Each year, I find that a theme begins to coalesce in the NAPO Expo showcase, and this year, it was all about boxing up your papers, but each had its own twist. This week, we’ll review some of the innovative ways paper (including vital documents, memorabilia and more) are gathered up, collated and preserved for easy access.
Tote That Barge, Lift That Bale (of Papers)
One of my favorite new products came from the Alpha-Omega Collection by KC Streamline Concepts. Yes, at first glance, the main product does look like a typical desktop, open file box. And it is. It’s got a few nice bells and whistles, like the front kangaroo-pocket for a notepad and pen, and dated tickler file inserts (because you know how Paper Doll loves tickler files). The Standard Edition is made of ABS plastic and comes in Licorice, Caramel or Blueberry. The oh-so-classy Executive Edition is made of solid wood in Honey Maple or Cherry stains.
Each carrier comes with the following:
One Biannual Calendar
12 Monthly Folders
31 Daily Folders
1 two-inch Extra-Capacity file folders to hold the monthly and daily folders
10 Action Folders with 10 customizable blank tabs
50 Note Cards
While the boxes are lovely, it’s the Alpha-Omega portable totes that really snapped up my attention! The faux-leather (in Blackberry, Cherry or Coconut) are a huge step up from the hard-side plastic lunchbox-style file totes we usually see. Sure, you can carry a handful of files in a nice portfolio, but if you’ve got a small file crate’s worth of paperwork, this tote is really nifty.
The tote completely zips closed, and has extra long purse-style strap handles that snap together in case you’d prefer a sturdier grip. You can select the faux crocodile accents or opt out, and the interior is nicely lined. The outer pockets wrap all the way around, with the front ones operating like the kangaroo pocket on the Alpha-Omega boxes, and the others yielding ample space for small items. Select the color of the box/case, then pick coordinating hanging file colors.
College Bound? Remember Everything, Kit & Caboodle!
When I wrote my article, Organizing Your College Search And Application Process, the one thing that dismayed me was that for those students or families who were not comfortable creating a Do-It-Yourself filing system, there were few pre-created alternatives. I’m pleased to see that College Caboodle has taken that need seriously.
The College Caboodle is designed to be a centralized organizing system for all of a college-bound student’s VIPs (Very Important Papers), including copies of:
-College Applications
-College Essays
-Letters of Recommendation
-Grade transcripts and copies of standardized test scores
-Community Service Activity Summaries
-Scholarship Applications
-Financial Aid Applications and FAFSA Forms
In addition to creating a streamlined filing system for documents, the College Caboodle includes a monthly/quarterly calendar of To-Do items for college aspirants from ninth grade through graduation, easy-to-use forms and checklists to make sure no task is forgotten, pre-labeled folders, resource web sites for application and scholarship assistance, and an instructional CD. The top of the Caboodle box includes plastic pockets for the CD and for a flash drive to maintain essay and application back-up copies. There’s also a built-in tickler system at the front for making sure those tight senior-year deadlines don’t get missed.
The College Caboodle is not inexpensive. However, for parents who have never been through the complex college application process and/or those families who are uncomfortable with organizing the mass of papers and deadlines associated with applying to college, the College Caboodle reassuringly contains all the elements to ensure that no ivy-covered stone goes unturned.
Do Not Pass Go. Collect 200 Report Cards, Photos and Ribbons!
1StopBox has developed a product line for keeping all the memorabilia of life in coordinated kits designed to all fit in a translucent bin of your choosing. The signature product, the Kid’s 1 Stop Box (in designs themed for boys or girls), includes four elements:
A Removable File Case, which holds all the VIP documents for each child: birth and/or adoption certificate, Social Security card, passport, immunization records, report cards or transcripts, etc.
A File System with nine coordinated expandable files (and pre-printed labels) keeps track of children’s artwork, school and independent projects, and non-VIP papers from nursery school through high school.
A Photo Album contains all of the official photos, including annual school pictures, camp photos, team and individual sports portraits, newspaper and magazine clippings and any other scrapbook-worthy or album-appropriate item.
A Keepsake Box holds three-dimensional memorabilia, like medals and ribbons, small trophies, videos or DVDs.
Future sets will include 1 Stop Boxes for babies, wedding-planning and even pets.
Greeting Your Memories In One Tidy Album
Paper Doll readers know that I’m not particularly eager to encourage you to keep all of the greeting cards you receive. However, if you do want to gather up cards in a collated display, the Greeting Card Keeper Card Album from Card Memories does provide one solution for storing keepsake cards and preserving them safely.
Each greeting card can be inserted into an acid-free Memory Sleeve so one can view both the interior and exterior of any card without having to remove it from the sleeve. The sleeves come in medium or large in order to fit standard sized/shaped greeting cards. Unlike the plastic sheet protectors designed for files or glassine stamp/photo album pages, these are more rigid and durable.
The individual Memory Sleeves fit any three-ring binders with holes punched for a standard 8 1/2″ X 5 1/2″ sheet size (medium) or 9 1/2″ X 6″ sheet size (large). (Binder rings must be spaced 2 3/4″ apart for the medium sleeves and 3 1/2″ apart for the large sleeves.) Each sleeve has a separated, plastic “margin” to prevent binder rings from rubbing against the cards.
Sleeved cards can be sorted by category (birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, etc.) or by date and inserted in any of the company’s various albums. The albums come in medium (8″ X 5″) and large (9 1/4″ X 5 3/4″), and in various styles, including .055 gauge post-consumer recycled plastic milk jugs, in Chili Pepper Red, Cashmere Rose and Stargazer Blue, which come with twenty memory sleeves. Large albums, which include 25 memory sleeves, are available in linen or faux leather, black or red polyethylene plastic, or clear, Raspberry or Blueberry polyproplyene .030 gauge plastic.
The only flaw I can see in the Card Memories line (aside from creating a containment solution that might lead some to keep a larger card collection than is suitable) is that the sleeves are adapted for traditional cards, such as those from Hallmark. Those tall, narrow, tending-towards-silly cards one sees in gift shops and drug stores would not fit these sleeves or albums. However, this is a new product, and one may expect expanded product lines in the future.
Securing Your Vital Interests
One particular item on display at the Expo was not new, but has yet to be mentioned in Paper Doll posts, is Securita’s Vital Records Portavault. Its purpose isn’t merely to collect and collate the very important papers I’m always talking about, but also to make it easy to grab them & go in an emergency. Securita identifies the four basic advantages of the Portavault, in that it helps one:
Identify the vital records and documents one ought to keep in a centralized location. (Yes, Paper Doll has done that for you here and here, for example, but not everyone remembers to take notes!)
Organize the collected essentials in a portable three-ring binder with tabbed sections for individual categories.
Store the documents in acid-free record protectors to preserve readability.
Transport all of the essential papers in one binder, quickly, in case of emergency.
The process for collecting and organizing vital documents in the Portavault is simple. Affix an identifying label to an empty record protector. Then, run off to find the appropriate document(s), and once located, insert into the labeled record protector. Lather. Rinse. Repeat.
The Portavault’s exterior carrying case (with handle and shoulder strap) includes a pouch for storing keys, important cards, flash drives and cash. The Portavault’s interior houses the three-ring binder, guidelines for storing vital records, disaster-planning advice, 60 pre-printed labels identifying important documents, 30 acid-free record protectors, and a glow-in-the-dark identification tag, in case the onset of your emergency takes place at night or when the power is out.
This is just the tip of the Expo iceberg. Please return to Paper Doll for more 2010 NAPO Expo treasures, including the newest in office supply solutions from favorite stalwarts Smead and Pendaflex, and a new eco-friendly calendar that lets you see the big picture (by seeing the forest and saving the trees). We’ll delve into the digital solutions for preserving your vital information and memories and keeping your daily data at your fingertips. We’ll even revisit some electronic options that have upgraded their offerings.
Until then, pardon Paper Doll while I go back to thinking about that amazing Jeni’s ice cream. Mmmmmm.
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